Power Ranking the 2019 World Cup Teams

5. Australia

England v Australia - 3rd Royal London ODI

It seems strange to rank the defending champions and five time champions 5th in a ten team tournament. However, this spot is correct considering all the on-field and off-field issues faced by Australia in the past twelve months.

Firstly, the suspensions of Steve Smith and David Warner have completely changed the dynamics of this team. The duo will return around March 2019, only two months before the World Cup. Until then, their only match practice will come from T20 leagues. Thus, it remains to be seen if they will be able to reach their usual form in England.

Yet, the Smith-Warner suspension is not the only issue in the Australian team. Neither can become captain after the suspension, thus making it likely that Australia will be led by Tim Paine- a player whose place in the side itself is questionable. Meanwhile, Australia have lost their last four bilateral ODI series, only one of which came without Smith or Warner.

The main issue in their team seems to be their middle order as the batting attack is extremely weak after No.3. Travis Head is inconsistent while Marcus Stonis and Mitchell Marsh cannot be trusted above No.6. The situation got so poor that Australia had to recall the 34 year old Cameron White.

Even their bowling attack is fragile considering the injury-prone nature of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins. Moreover, they are one of the few teams in the tournament that do not have a consistent spinner- a necessity in modern ODI cricket.

These issues along with their recent past performance mean that Australia cannot rise above No.5 in these rankings. Nonetheless, Smith and Warner's batting along with Starc and Josh Hazlewood as pacers ensures that they do not rank below this spot either.